Reflections
by Jennifer Davis
Summary: Set in the Gem Ranger Series, after Chosen. The eight Gem ranger reflect on what they've been through. This is a series of vignettes.
1. Reunion

Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, Saban does. I own the Gem coins and Annie and anything else that you may not recognize. If you like it email me at nuttiegirl3@yahoo.com and give me some feedback. If you want to see more in the series, tell me. If you have a direction you'd like to see it all go, tell me and if I use it, I'll credit you, but I'm not promising to use it. I'm a college student getting through school on scholarships of the four-legged kind, so if you sue me you're going to get a bunch of cattle. This is the third in the Gem coins series.  
  
Author's Note: While this story is set in the Gem Ranger's universe, this is a part of a complementary story line, the Reflections series, a set of vignettes about the thought of the new Gem Rangers after they come into power.  
  
  
  
Reunion  
  
By Jenifer Davis  
  
I hang back as their old friends encircle my teammates. I'll admit to being jealous, now that Grandfather's gone I've had little chance for such a joyous reunion with so many people. I don't even think I know that many people. Well, maybe I should rephrase that. I don't think that many people know me. Oh, I've had passing acquaintances, even the occasional boyfriend. But never friends like these. What can I say, my childhood wasn't conducive to making friends.  
  
I've never been one to be comfortable in crowds, either. And this is definitely a crowd. And this is definitely a crowd. There are so many people here; I'm practically getting claustrophobic thinking about it. Hmm, there's nine of us, plus the Galaxy Rangers and Mike, six more, the Astro Rangers, another five, not to mention the four retired rangers and Trey. That's twenty-five people plus an overly hyper android that's all but attached himself to Zordon. Alpha, I think his name is; all the others know who he is.  
  
Wow, do I feel out of place. My hands are still shaking from facing Loorna! I still can't believe that I'm the Opal Ranger. Talk about your fluke of nature. Okay, so I know there was something different about my mother. But Kessairian? Wow. And, somewhere I have a grandmother who sent my mother to Earth as a baby. Why? Did she somehow foresee this? Or was there a threat to my mother's life? Zordon seems to think it was the latter, although I don't know how sending her to Earth could have helped. It must have worked, mother stayed alive long enough to have me. And it wasn't intergalactic terrorists that killed her. It was the homegrown kind.  
  
Whoa, wrong train of thought, girl. Last thing you need to do right now is tear up. Might get the team thinking you're a softie. Granted that would completely go against the last few weeks, but who knows. I turn to look out the observation window, trying to clear my mind of thought of my family. It's hard to believe that I'm actually on Terra Venture. To look out a window and see thousands of stars, it's breathtakingly beautiful. The scientist in me is aching to get out of here, to get to a computer and find out what makes this thing tick. Do they use a macro-propulsion system such as the one designed by Dr. Tobias LeConte? Or do they use more of am impulse power system such as NASA is trying to implement in the International Space Station.  
  
And by looking through the opposite window I can see the Mountain Dome, sparking a whole new series of questions. It's incredible. How can they create a mountain artificially? Is it just a concrete cast with soil layered over it? Or is it actually made of rock like a true mountain? And the soil, it is cultivated? Does it have structure or would is be classified as massive or loose? There are things growing out of it, are there microorganisms present in the soil as well as macro, or is it sterile? I wonder if they have anyone studying the impact of a facility like this on the soil used here? It would be a great project--maybe something to do to stay out of trouble.  
  
I can't help but smile at that thought. It used to be that staying out of trouble meant not getting caught. Wow, have things changed in the last two years since grandfather's died. I can't help but look over at Zordon, who has replaced my grandfather in my life in more ways than one. He even kinda still looks like him. I'll never forget the day grandfather died. Would I be here today if he hadn't? I don't know. It's possible that Zordon would have found me in some other way. But for some reason the word 'destiny' keeps going through my head.  
  
There are probably some people would say that my mother was sent to Earth as a baby so I could fulfill my destiny as Gatherer/Opal. Hey, wrong subject! I press at the bridge of my nose, the pressure preventing my tear ducts from overflowing. I need to get out of here, flashes through my mind yet again. I can't help but to feel out of place. Everyone but me is gathered en mass, all talking at once, hugging, smiling and I'm about to overflow like an overactive fountain just because of a few stray thoughts about my long dead mother. Something's definitely wrong.  
  
Nothing's wrong. Instead it's finally right.  
  
Great, now I'm hallucinating. Is this what post-traumatic stress syndrome is like? Because I'm seeing my mother of all people standing right next to me!  
  
It isn't a hallucination. Now that you have bonded with the Opal I can let you see me. I've never left your side. Not since the day I died.  
  
Should I go hide now? I definitely didn't have a sterling childhood. Hell, the only reason I never ended up in Juvie is because I could out run every cop around me.  
  
But you later used the knowledge you gained committing crimes to help others. Ana, darling, I am so proud of you. And so is Alexander.  
  
Now that floors me. Alexander was my grandfather. Goodness knows the last thing he needed was a squalling 6-year old brat after my mother died. But he still took me in as his own. I can't help but stare at the apparition, one question standing out in my mind.  
  
He had to, dear. He knew his time had come. And it was the only way Zordon could return.  
  
My mind strays back to those first few days. I didn't know how it happened, not did I want to. I just wanted the strange old man to leave me alone. Then he changed everything. How did it happen?  
  
Oh, I know the explanation we've given to my teammates. The Power wanted to reward Zordon for serving so well and making the ultimate sacrifice, yadda, yadda, yadda. The crazy thing is, that's the truth. That doesn't mean I understand how it happened. I mean, I knew enough about medicine to know that Grandfather was dead. D-E-A-D, dead. As a doorknob. So I'm sitting there, lost little girl, crying my eyes out and guess what. He moves. I freaked.  
  
Next thing I know my grandfather's once dead yet now living body is telling me his name is Zordon and asking what the date was. Needless to say, I didn't take it well. I bolted. And somehow he kept finding me, telling me that I must follow my destiny. There's that word again. And it's true. As he has long since proven, it was my destiny to stick with him. Thankfully, he's a very patient man. Very patient. I know that I wouldn't have put up with my shit. I never understood why he did. I guess I do now. And he's grown on me, enough to make me feel left out witnessing his reunion with the others.  
  
---------------------------------  
  
Jason looked over the reunion of friends. It was pretty amazing to see everyone together, especially their reactions upon seeing Zordon alive. But someone was missing. Catching Zordon's gaze, he looked up to see Annie standing off to the side, fingering her pendant and watching them with a bittersweet look on her face. Looking back to catch Zordon's pointed nod in her direction, he blushed, remembering Tristan's comments from the day before.  
  
The bond has already begun to form.  
  
---------------------------------  
  
Annie looked up as Jason reached her side. He didn't say a word, but just draped an arm over her shoulders as he drew her into the crowd. 


	2. Meeting Satan

Disclaimer: see first chapter. Basically, to recap, I own nothing. Cept for Annie.

*Quote is from the Magnificent Seven episode Witness.*

*Satan quote is from the Gathering, the first in this series/AU*

Meeting Satan

By Jenifer Davis

Are you Satan?

I'll never live those words down. Even now that we have begun what can only be a trip to hell and back. Now that we realize just who Satan is. 

And I realize that Satan isn't male after all.

Instead Satan is a woman. An evil woman bent on total galactic domination. I sigh in amusement. Why is it that these evil chicks just can't ever come up with a new tune. First Rita, the Machina and Divatox, and Trakeena from what I hear. And now Loorna. 

Like I said, Satan is a woman. A frighteningly beautiful woman, from what I saw today. No pointed bras or purple hair for her. No metallic voice or buggy attitude. Instead she almost looked normal, in a scary, evil monster sort of way. 

And she craves power. With a craving that goes beyond Rita's domination of Earth or Trakeena's intent on destroying Terra Venture. She craves power in a different way. She isn't after mindless drones to fulfill her every need. She wants to control the universe itself and that's what's so damn scary.

Billy's looking at me funny again, so I try to pull myself back into the conversation with Kim and Tommy. To no avail. Nothing against either of my friends, but my mind just isn't in the mood for this right now. Hey, we just finished a battle with the newest baddie on the block, give me a break, okay?

Looking around I see Annie standing off to the side, looking out the window. This is the first time I've ever seen her looking lost. And she does. But I understand why. She doesn't know these people the way we do. Heck, I know these people and I still find it a bit overwhelming. 

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I turned around. There was Jezerra, "You have gotta work on your entrance. You about made me the youngest candidate for a heart attack ever."

She just smiles that coy smile of hers and gives me a little wink. Just keepin' ya on your toes, girlie.

"Can't you find a better way to do that than scaring me out of my wits?"

Better me than Loorna.

Now that's a sobering thought. I never want to be surprised by Loorna. She has too many tricks up her sleeve as it is. And too many Amalga-whatever's to make it a reasonably fair fight. Which probably has something to do with the whole conversation Zordon his having with Jason and Andros over there. We aren't gonna be able to do this alone, I can tell you that much. Backup is going to be a commonly used word around us.

And that's not a bad thing either. I can tell already that we've all formed bonds here. This new team, it's not like any other teams before. It pretty much crosses all boundaries. I mean before we were kinda segregated. The was the Morphin team, and the Zeo team. And the first Turbo team, then the new class. Now the Astro team and the Galaxy team, the first time teams were totally separate. But this new Gem team, we have people from each of the teams here. Billy and Jason were two of the original morphin rangers. Jason had the gold power. Adam, Tanya and I all held the Zeo and the Turbo powers. Carlos is both a former Astro and Turbo ranger. And Kendrix, the first of us to be gathered, came from the last team the Galaxy rangers.

We've become the glue that holds all the teams together. We're all different ages, equally male and female. And we are all devoted to stopping this new devil.

Jezerra is ogling that tall kid now, God they are all kids to me, aren't they. The one who's the Magna Defender, umm, Mike, ghost that she is. Probably a good thing she is too, though it'd be interesting to see just how pink his ear would turn. They're already turning a pretty impressive shade as he keeps looking around him to see what's there. I suppose I should rescue him before she goes too far. I wonder if Kendrix has this problem with her predecessor?

She sticks her tongue out at me, but then I see Ely, so I know she won't cause too much trouble any more. Well, at least she'll give Mike a break. The two ghosts disappear to where ever ghosts go when they aren't tormenting, not that they ever tormented me, but she was definitely getting Mike.

Tanya smiles at me over Adam's shoulder. I know that this whole run in with Loorna has her spooked like me. How? She my friend. I know these things. I also know that we'll probably be having a long talk about it later. We've always tended to do that after a particularly nasty monster. I know that she's here for me just as I am here for her.

Satan or Loorna be damned.

What was it that man on that western Tommy used to watch said? Oh yeah, "I've met the devil. More than once. And he ain't beat me yet."

I've met the devil also. And she ain't beat me yet either.


End file.
